MOCAD’s New Facade is a Beacon of Positivity

The exhibition is a reinstallation that originally appeared on the building in 2007, but holds new meaning ten years later

By Amanda Rahn

Published: September 18, 2017

Driving down Woodward Avenue at dusk, you might notice an all-black building blending into the approaching darkness, illuminated only by the glowing neon words “EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT.”

That building is the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, and this new installation, courtesy of British artist Martin Creed, replaces the vibrant pastel geometric pattern that decorated the building for two years.

The work by Creed, a visual artist and musician and winner of the Turner Prize (the UK’s most publicized art award) in 2001, was originally curated and displayed for the museum in 2007.

“The exhibition considered how different artists approached the use of language in their work, and how language is in turn both open and subject to interpretation, i.e. words are simultaneously both objective and subjective,” said Matthew Higgs, curator of the 2007 exhibition. “There is a sense of uncertainty about Creed's short text, as if the work is perhaps missing a question mark. Ten years on and a lot has changed in Detroit, in my life, and at MOCAD itself.”

The piece, titled “Work No. 790: EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT,” has been shown across the world at major art museums like the Tate Modern in London and the National Galleries of Scotland. The illuminated exhibition is also meant to play into the upcoming Dlectricity event, which will run Sept. 22-23, as many other light-based designs will decorate Woodward Avenue.

“I'm excited that Martin's work is returning to Woodward Avenue,” Higgs said. “And I sincerely hope that everything is going to be alright.”

For more information on the MOCAD’s upcoming exhibits, visit their website or call 313-832-6622. The MOCAD is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The museum is located at 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit.